Clown Loach Discussion

[Dycofree]

Hey all. After much consideration, I decided I wanted to go ahead and try Clown Loaches out for my 125 gallon tank (6x2x2). I found them for a great price at 1-1.5” and bought 6 of them, however 1 of them passed overnight in QT. Can anyone give me any personal experiences with these guys? I had another post that was a general bottom feeder discussion with a few posts on clowns, but Id like to hear more. So as I said, I have 5 now and am wondering if I should leave it at this number or go ahead and pick up a 6th. I was very confident when I got them, but of course now Im having second thoughts anout their size in my tank. Ill attach a pic below so you can reference what my tank looks like. Any info/experiences/advice you have on these guys is great! Some sites are telling me they’ll outgrow my tank in a year, while others are saying 5+.

 

[Fat Homer]

Your tank is actually a 180G

But sorry no experience with loaches so i'll let others chime in...

 

[Dycofree]

Your tank is actually a 180G

But sorry no experience with loaches so i'll let others chime in...

Sorry, its definitely a 125! I totally mis-wrote the dimensions! Ive been browing too many threads on clowns, lol

 

[xDestro]

I'm no expert I had mine for a whole week before they died of ick ( when I first got into hobby) Iv heard they like higher temps around 80-84. Mine were very shy and skiddish but as most fish they acclimate to the tank and you once they know your a source of food... Imo your tank would be fine for a school of 6-8 even full grown. If I ever kept a school of clowns and intended on keeping them for life I would way over due filtration and keep water quality pristine.

 

[esoxlucius]

Clowns are that slow growing you are not going to get any joy out of having just 5 tiny ones in that tank. You'll just get bored at looking at nothing. It'll just look so empty for years and years. If you want a clown loach only tank i would go and get a load more tiny ones and as they grow just reduce your stock. You can sell clowns on for daft money because bigger specimens are so hard to come by.

I have 5 at about 5" apiece, they were tiny like yours when i got them. They are a joy to watch, funny little characters and don't worry if they play dead, it's a common clown loach trait. They are very ich prone but only if stressed or your water quality is pants. I've only ever had one outbreak of ich and i got rid of it via the temperature method very easily and they were fine with the higher temps during treatment.

They are easy to feed, mine eat all your regular type foods and they go crazy over cucumber, especially if i embed wafers in the cucumber skin. They go mad trying to prize them out. Give them plenty of hidey holes and don't worry too much if they go missing, they are the hide and seek champions of the fish world, they cram themselves into the smallest gaps.

I'm sure others will chime in but that's my two cents. Enjoy your clowns, but as i said, GET MORE!

 

[tlindsey]

I agree with the above post but would also like to add its not just ich that you have to worry about. Most Clown Loaches are wild caught and some come in to the lfs infected with internal parasites . I personally purchased 5 over a year ago during a sale on them and when one would die I would return and replace with another until I got a group of healthy ones. As of now I have 4 and knock on wood they are doing great and eat everything I offer to them. Like stated only drawback is slow growth. I would always pass on Clown Loaches but so happy I decided to try them.

 

[tiger15]

Yes, all CL are wild caught in SE Asia and many are not fed for weeks before shipment, Small CL are sometimes so emaciated that weak ones won't recover. So when picking CL from LFS, watch carefully that they do not have hollow stomach.

But once they get acclimated, they are hardy and resistance to all diseases except ick. Ick is CL killer and if you don't catch it early and administer treatment promptly, they are goner.

 

[demonknight]

More the clowns more the fun They grow really really slow and a group of 5 is just boring in a 125g.

I had 11 in a 90G before i sold them all off. Trust me it was orange and black chaos in that tank.

Get tiger barbs and your clowns will swim with that school. Sometimes shy sometime boisterous, sometimes giving you a scare by lying on their sides.

Hands down one of my favorite fishes to keep.

Driftwood, caves, logs, hiding places are essential for them. And hope you have a lid.

 

[Backfromthedead]

theyre great fish for a community tank. ive only had two before and they also passed before they reached adulthood, one from ich and one from some other illness. i want to make a borneo themed tank in the future that will feature them and a big school of rainbowfish. just hope they stay alive this time.

 

[Dycofree]

Awesome info guys! My theory in keeping 5-6 was that Id be able to keep them longer than if I got 12. I want as much time as I can with them. I am in the process of Quarantining and one definitely had a hollow stomach. He passed the first night. Eso, how long has it taken for them to reach 5”? At what size would I need to look into rehoming these guys with my tank setup? Keep the info coming

Edit: My tank is filtered by two Aquatop cf 500uv’s which gives me around 10x turnover an hour. Ill also be adding powerheads soon as my other fish love the flow as well (forgot to mention this isnt a loach only tank)